Ways to Explore

259: Promised Land

Feb 20, 2004

For millennia, people have tried to reach a spiritual promised land by fasting. Jesus did it. The Buddha did it. Monks and saints
and new age gurus have done it. And now, on the radio, This American Life contributor David Rakoff tries it. He does a 20-day fast, to find out if it brings him any form of enlightenment.

Fans of movie musicals might know about something called the "I Wish" number. In many movies and Broadway shows, it's the main character's first song, in which they express the hope that will set the story in motion. Host Ira Glass explains it, and plays a few examples. (7 minutes) Film/Film Making • Music

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For millennia, people have tried to reach a spiritual promised land by fasting. Jesus did it. The Buddha did it. Monks and saints and new age gurus have done it. And now, on the radio, This American Life contributor David Rakoff tries it. He does a 20-day fast, to find out if it brings him any form of enlightenment. (25 minutes)Food/Drinks/Cooking • Religion